--- title: "The ceasefire between the US and Iran has triggered a global stock market surge, with Japan, South Korea, and the US all rising over 10%, while Hong Kong stocks only rose 4%, lagging behind" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/283171938.md" description: "Since the ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran on April 7, global stock markets have generally risen, with the Japanese and South Korean markets performing strongly, increasing by over 12% and 9% respectively. However, the Hong Kong Hang Seng Index and the Shanghai Composite Index only rose by about 4%, showing weaker performance. Analysts pointed out that the Japanese and South Korean markets were sold off during the conflict due to their reliance on Middle Eastern energy, and the ceasefire news brought a rebound. Despite the improving global investment atmosphere, the Hong Kong and Chinese stock markets have not fully benefited, and the decline in trading volume has raised market concerns" datetime: "2026-04-17T16:00:53.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/283171938.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/283171938.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/283171938.md) --- # The ceasefire between the US and Iran has triggered a global stock market surge, with Japan, South Korea, and the US all rising over 10%, while Hong Kong stocks only rose 4%, lagging behind Since the US and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire agreement on April 7, market expectations for a potential agreement to end the six-week war have warmed. This has triggered a new wave of rises in global stock markets. From April 7 to 17, major global stock markets performed well overall, but regional performances showed divergence. Data indicates that funds have clearly been speculating on the Japanese, Korean, and US stock markets, while the Hong Kong Hang Seng Index and the mainland Shanghai Composite Index lagged behind, with the lowest gains among major global markets. ## Funds Speculating on Korean Stock Market Rises Over 12% Benefiting from a decrease in risk aversion, funds quickly flowed into high-risk assets. Data shows that the Korean KOSPI index surged approximately 12.68% over the past ten days, becoming the best-performing major market. The Japanese Nikkei 225 index and the US Nasdaq index followed closely, recording strong gains of approximately 9.44% and 9.46%, respectively. IG market analyst Ye Weiwen stated that Japan and Korea, due to their high dependence on energy imports from the Middle East, experienced greater sell-offs during the conflict and recorded a stronger rebound following the ceasefire news. Additionally, the US S&P 500 index and the German DAX index recorded gains of approximately 6.41% and 5.86%, respectively, while the US Dow Jones index, which focuses on large companies and has lower volatility, rose by 4.28%. ## Mainland and Hong Kong Lack Momentum, Gains Only About 4% Despite the positive global investment atmosphere, the Hong Kong and mainland stock markets did not fully benefit from this wave and significantly underperformed the broader market. From April 7 to 17, the Hang Seng Index rose from 25,116 points to 26,160 points, with a gain of only about 4.15%; during the same period, the Shanghai Composite Index rose from 3,890 points to 4,051 points, recording a gain of only about 4.14%. However, the rise in global markets has also raised concerns. Tom Essaye, founder of research firm Sevens Report, noted that trading volumes have significantly decreased recently. He further questioned, "The strong rebound of the S&P 500 index since the late March low is undoubtedly impressive, but has this index risen too quickly and too far?" The slight trading volume has also become a focus for Kristian Kerr, macro strategy director at LPL Financial, who pointed out that the trading volume of the S&P 500 over the past five trading days has been below the average level for the year to date. He explained that this rise is more driven by short covering and passive adjustments rather than new funds actually entering the market. Global Major Market Gains Country Index Closing on April 7 Closing on April 17 Gain Korea KOSPI 5494 6191 12.68% USA Nasdaq 22017 24102 9.46% Japan Nikkei 225 53429 58475 9.44% United States S&P 500 6616 7041 6.41% Germany DAX Index 22921 24265 5.86% United States Dow Jones 46584 48578 4.28% Hong Kong Hang Seng Index 25116 26160 4.15% China Shanghai Composite Index 3890 4051 4.14% ### Related Stocks - [00HSI.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/00HSI.HK.md) - [000001.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/000001.CN.md) - [.IXIC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.IXIC.US.md) - [IGG.UK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IGG.UK.md) - [.SPX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.SPX.US.md) - [.DJI.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.DJI.US.md) - [LPLA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/LPLA.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [China launches national plan to boost AI education](https://longbridge.com/en/news/282481609.md) - [What is an index fund and how does it work?](https://longbridge.com/en/news/283194845.md) - [Hezbollah lawmaker says Iran envoy briefed group on possible short-term ceasefire](https://longbridge.com/en/news/283030657.md) - [Ralph Lauren (RL) Valuation Check After Ceasefire Relief And China Growth Momentum](https://longbridge.com/en/news/282578639.md) - [Kremlin welcomes U.S.-backed Israel-Lebanon ceasefire](https://longbridge.com/en/news/283135652.md)